Ian McGinty, a writer and artist much beloved in the comic book community, has died aged 38, it has been announced.

News of McGinty’s death was initially posted on social media by his mother. The news was then shared more widely by a family friend. An obituary published online by his family later states that he died of natural causes.

McGinty was known for work on titles including Boom! Studios’ Adventure Time, Bee and Puppycat, and Bravest Warriors, as well as Oni Presss Invader Zim series. He was also the sole creator of Welcome to Showside, a Z2 Comics graphic novel that was made into an animated pilot, an experience that he described at the time as, “absolutely mind-boggling and an experience unlike anything else I’ve ever done before.”

McGinty's death provoked a significant outpouring of grief on Twitter, which seems fitting given his own love of the platform. (His final tweet was, somewhat beautifully and tragically, “I JUST WANNA MAKE COMICS WITH EVERYONE.”) “The depth of my heartbreak is not easy for me to measure, and I'm both numb and raw in seasons,” shared writer Eryk Donovan, while cartoonist Alex Graudins wrote, “I’m trying so hard to process losing Ian McGinty but I just can’t. In my early comic years it felt like I couldn’t go to a con or touch my twitter timeline without seeing his name. He’s always been a constant force of good. This is so unfair.”

“The loss of Ian McGinty is just devastating,” added artist Katy Farina. “He was a good person from the ground up, and so passionate about everything he touched. All he wanted to do with make comics with people. To say he will be missed is an understatement to how much he is loved.”

Z2 Comics issued its own statement in response to his passing, which read in part, “Ian was a true friend of Z2, having worked on our earliest projects and continuing to collaborate with us for well near ten years with his brilliant art, his humorous and compassionate writing, and his commitment to always be young at heart. At our convention booth he would always reach out to shy kids, drawing cats, robots, or adorable monsters for them, and getting them involved in the process.”

McGinty is survived by his parents, James and Laura McGinty, younger brothers Thomas and Patrick, and Grandmother Shirley, in addition to an extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. His family have advised that contributions can be made in his name to the Hero Initiative, or by offer[ing] a bit of encouragement to a young, creative person navigating a life in the arts.”